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Branches of Government/Transcript (Old Version)
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are in Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument is behind them. Tim is studying a fold-out map. TIM: It's got to be right around here. Moby points at the Washington Monument. MOBY: Beep. Tim looks where Moby is pointing. TIM: Oh. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, can you tell me about the three branches of the U.S. government and what they do? From, Marin. Hey. Lucky for you, we're in Washington, D.C. When the Constitution was drafted, the Framers divided the federal government's powers between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Images of the Capitol Building, Supreme Court Buliding, and White House illustrate the three branches of the government. TIM: The Capitol Building is home to the legislative branch of government. That's Congress. The United States Congress has the job of creating laws. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Images show the Capitol Building and both houses of Congress in session. TIM: Both are made up of people from every state. A political map shows all fifty United States. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, there are a total of 435 five seats in the House of Representatives, but the number of representatives sent to the House varies in size from state to state. Each state sends a certain number of representatives, depending on the size of that state's population. The map shows how many representatives come from each state. TIM: The Senate always has two representatives per state. Right now, that's 100. Voters elect two senators from each state, regardless of population size. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the Senate and the House work together but they have different powers. Both the House and the Senate can introduce bills that can become laws. But only the House can introduce bills that have to do with government spending, and only the Senate can approve or reject treaties with other countries and presidential nominations for government offices. An image shows the Capitol building with a dotted line dividing it in half. Images illustrate what Tim describes about the duties of the House and the Senate. TIM: The legislative branch, with its many representatives, helps build our laws in a way that serves every corner of our nation. The executive branch includes the President, the Vice President, and the heads of various departments and agencies in our government. Images show the White House, the Oval Office, and the Presidential Seal. TIM: The executive branch carries out laws and approves and recommends new ones, and directs national defense and foreign policy. Images show the Presidential Seal, along with images symbolizing the other executive duties Tim names. TIM: In addition, the President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. An image shows a group of military personnel from various branches. TIM: The President operates with the help of various special advisers, called cabinet members. They advise the President on policy issues relating to foreign affairs, defense, agriculture, labor, education, and many others. The office of the President has grown very powerful since George Washington first held it. Today, the President is one of the most influential people in the nation, and maybe the world. Still, the President only gets at most two four-year terms, and then they've got to give somebody else a shot. Images show the members of the President's cabinet, and small icons representing the departments Tim names. TIM: Finally, the judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court and its nine justices. Images show the Supreme Court building and the nine justices. TIM: The Supreme Court's chief responsibility is to review and rule on court cases that may conflict with the U.S. Constitution. They look at these cases and decide whether or not the laws in question are unconstitutional. An image shows the United States Constitution. TIM: The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country, and their decisions overrule those of all other courts. The lower courts then use the Supreme Court's ruling as guidelines. By putting forth their rulings, the Supreme Court is actually interpreting the Constitution and helping shape the law of the land. Images show the Supreme Court in session and rows of gavels, representing the one Supreme Court and the many lower courts. MOBY: Beep. Moby is holding postcards with images representing the three branches of government. TIM: Well, each of these branches of the U.S. government is held together by a complex system of checks and balances. The Founders of the United States didn't want any one branch to have too much power, so each branch of government is limited by the other two in different ways. For example, Congress presents bills to the President, but the President can choose to sign it, making it a law, or say no, and veto it. But Congress can override that veto if two-thirds of the representatives in both houses agree. However, if the Supreme Court decides that that law is unconstitutional, then that law is out of here. Images illustrate how vetoes work as Tim explains. TIM: In addition to the checks and balances associated with laws, there are some others. The President's cabinet members have to be approved by a majority of Congress. Supreme Court justices serve for life, but they first have to be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. Congress can also remove Supreme Court justices from their posts through a process called impeachment. The office of the President may be a powerful one, but the Supreme Court can declare the President's actions unconstitutional, and Congress can actually remove the President from office via impeachment. An image represents the three branches of government interacting with one another. Arrows indicate the checks and balances each branch has over another branch. TIM: I think you, I think you get the idea. The checks and balances and separation of powers help keep our federal government in balance. Change happens slowly and deliberately, and only when a lot of people agree on it. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, I don't think there's anything in the Constitution that says robots can't run for public office. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Would I vote for you? (Nervous sweat drips from his forehead.) Uh... I'm too young to vote. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts